Adjustments
by soaper410
Summary: New story about D/R adjusting to an odd twist of fate.
1. Chapter 1

New series. I've started a lot of stories but never could quite figure out where it was going. We've had some super inventive and well-written stories by others and these have inspired me. This is kinda just a start point. Hope you enjoy.

 **Adjustment**

Rayna reluctantly throws her suitcase back on the bed. By now, she and Deacon should be an hour into their flight. Instead they're back at home with a teenager yelling and a little girl crying in a locked bathroom.

A few hours ago, Rayna was practically skipping around the house. Now, she feels exhausted and deflated. Slowly, Rayna unpacks: the lingerie goes back in the drawer, the bathing suits are put back into the closet. The sun hats go back on the hangers and her makeup back on the bathroom counter.

Down the hall, Rayna hears Maddie yelling and Deacon's calm response. A door slams and Rayna sighs out loud. She is heartbroken for her girls, not to mention furious at Teddy. But a big part of her is selfishly disappointed for herself and for Deacon.

In the last few days, she gotten waxed, spray tanned, and sat in the damn manicurists chair for an hour so she would look her very best. But it was all ruined now. _Damn Teddy._

Rayna's phone buzzes several times but she doesn't bother looking at it. It was probably Tandy checking on the girls or Bucky with the press release. They can wait. Right now, Rayna can't deal with anyone except the people in her own house.

A moment later, Maddie appears in the master suite with a frown on her face and her arms crossed. Rayna gives her eldest a sympathetic glance. Maddie wasn't just upset, she was pissed. Not that Rayna blamed her at all. She was pretty mad herself.

Teddy being arrested for public corruption was terrible, but paying a prostitute made it so much worse. It made Teddy sound sleazy and gross. Even worse, it sounded like the kind of story that would be front page news for weeks. Teddy's picture would be splashed across every tabloid, blog, and entertainment website. There would be other women who would claim that Teddy paid them for sex too. There would be lies about all the kinky parties Teddy threw or the weird things he made the hookers do. No doubt she and the girls would be fodder for conversation too.

Maddie speaks but her voice breaks in a mixture of anger and devastation.

"He ruined your wedding," Maddie sobs before launching herself into her mother's arms. Rayna holds her daughter, stroking her hair and shushing her cries.

"Honey the wedding wasn't ruined. It was wonderful and sweet and real. Deacon and I got married a week ago and Teddy being arrested today doesn't change that."

Rayna pulls her daughter closer as Maddie softly cries. She and Deacon had been married last Monday, a small private ceremony with all of eight guests. But they couldn't leave right away for their honeymoon. Daphne had her last softball game of the season on Wednesday and then Maddie had a teen open-mic night that Thursday night. Then Scarlett and Gunnar had a huge show in Nashville on Saturday night. So the pair chose to delay their Caribbean escape for a week. Teddy may not have ruined Rayna's wedding but he certainly did a bang up job on ruining her honeymoon.

Maddie leans against her mother and asks, "Why did Teddy do this?"

Rayna's stomach twists in knots. Maddie has never called Teddy by his name before. Rayna knows her eldest and Deacon have become incredibly close; but, that doesn't negate everything Teddy has been and is to Maddie. Rayna hugs her daughter and says a silent prayer that somehow in the end her daughter can have a loving relationship with all three of her parents.

Maddie balls up fists in anger and swear she'll never forgive Teddy for what he did. She exits the master suite quickly and slams her bedroom door again. Rayna heads to the medicine cabinet to get something to help her headache.

Another hour passes. Daphne falls asleep on Deacon's shoulder after crying her eyes out. Maddie breaks some piece of jewelry that Teddy recently bought her. She dramatically throws the necklace in the kitchen trashcan vowing she'll never forgive "him" for what he did. Deacon pull it out of the trashcan when nobody is looking and stuffs it in his pocket.

An hour later, Maddie cries again when she talks to Colt. It seems to have a calming influence on her for which Rayna is grateful. Deacon talks to Bucky on the house phone while I spend twenty minutes on the phone with Teddy's lawyer. The lawyer starts talking about bail and the possibility of Teddy coming getting pre-trial release. It's all legal jargon and Rayna finds herself only half paying attention as the lawyer explains arraignment and mitigation of sentences.

Daphne wonders down to the kitchen after sunset. Her little face is red and splotchy from crying. All four of them end up on the couch, snuggling and comforting each other. The girls ask questions, most of which Deacon and Rayna have no clue how to answer. It reminds Deacon of that awful day when he had to tell them about the cancer. Once again, these two children are having to deal with things no child should have to face.

Deacon offers food but nobody is hungry. The idea of escaping to the cabin comes up, but Maddie protests. She wants to see Colt in the morning. So, the cabin idea is scarped for now but both adults send each other a knowing look. Once Maddie sees her boyfriend, they are getting the hell out of town.

The doorbell rings after 9 o'clock. It's Tandy. Both girls hug Tandy before running off to their rooms. Tandy stays long enough to offer her support and drop off Deacon's favorite kind of cake.

Tandy shrugs, "I figured if you can't have all the sex you want with my sister for the next week, you could at least have 4000 calories worth of red velvet."

Deacon throws his sister-in-law an amused smile. Tandy has been a lot of things to him over the years, but friendly hasn't been one of them. Before she leaves, Tandy lets her sister know that Teddy will resign effective 8 am tomorrow from his mayoral duties. It isn't unexpected, but the speed of it all takes Rayna aback.

Soon, Tandy leaves after promising to call Rayna in the morning. Deacon finds himself holding his wife in the kitchen. There are no words exchanged as she buries her head in his chest. They share a chaste kiss before heading back upstairs.

Deacon goes to check on Maddie while Rayna heads to Daphne's room.

Twenty minutes later, both adults end up in the hallway. Deacon asks how "his blonde is."

In the last few months, Deacon started calling "all his girls" by their hair color. Rayna says the blonde is tired and moody. Meanwhile "the brunette" is still crying and asking questions about sentencing and prisons.

Lastly, Deacon asks about his favorite redhead. Rayna gives him an exhausted shrug. The girls don't seem to be getting any calmer; if anything they seem more upset now than they were hours before. Deacon hugs Rayna for a minute, each seeking strength and support from the other. When they pull back from each other, they share another brief kiss. Rayna whispers that she promises to tell Deacon everything Teddy told her this whole sordid mess. Frankly, Deacon doesn't care about the details. All he cares about the three other people in the house.

"Okay time to switch," Deacon says reluctantly as he heads towards Daphne's room. Nearly two hours later, both girls have fallen asleep in the master bedroom. It amuses Deacon to no end that a teen and pre-teen take up far more room in the king sized bed than he and Rayna do.

In silence they both head to the bathroom to brush their teeth. Rayna changes into her pajamas while Deacon strips down to his boxers and undershirt. They head to the guest bedroom where they fall against the pillows.

Rayna apologizes to her husband of one week. They should be falling asleep right now, naked, with the warm ocean breeze over them. Their biggest concern should be whether they were going to stay by the private pool or walk an extra three hundred feet to the ocean.

Deacon agrees and leans in for a goodnight kiss.

"Guess it's true what they say," he laughs against Rayna's lips and then gives a playful smirk.

Rayna raises an eyebrow, questioning what he means.

"Once you get married, your sex life really does go downhill fast."

She laughs, kissing her husband again and apologizes for their lack of honeymooning right now. Deacon yawns and turns off the lamp on the bedside table. He whispers against her ear that he'd rather not be having sex with her than be with anyone else, anywhere else.

"Me too."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry this took so long. I just had writers block as to how to write this part. Hope you enjoy and should have the next chapter out in a few days!

 **CHAPTER 2**

Rayna frowns as Daphne pokes her in the side and loudly whispers "Mom" over and over again. As soon as Rayna opens her eyes, the cordless telephone is shoved in her face. Deacon doesn't move as Rayna gives a hoarse "hello."

It is Teddy's attorney, once again. In the last four days he's called at least a dozen times. Mainly, the lawyer asks about the girls' welfare and explains what new information he has on the case.

Yesterday, he sounded hopeful that Teddy would be released on bail awaiting his trial. But today, the lawyer says he's "less hopeful" after speaking with one of the federal prosecutors. Again, the lawyer mentions that Teddy, "would love to" see Rayna.

Rayna sighs as she says "not today" before thanking the attorney and getting off the phone. Teddy only had a few real friends, most of which he alienated in the mayoral race with Coleman. He had some co-workers at the bank that he occasionally played golf with but most likely they were distancing themselves from this whole scandal. He has some cousin, Karen or Carol or something like that, who always sent a Christmas card and called on his birthday. But in all their years of marriage, Rayna never met her. But both of Teddy's parents were dead, as was Peggy. So really, Rayna was all Teddy had left. She, and the girls.

Rayna sits up and wipes the sleep from her eyes. _Why does the morning always come so early in the day?_ Deacon groans and complains about how early the morning seems to come these days. That part is true. Every night, one or both of the girls would have some sort of crises involving Teddy. Both girls were getting picked on at school, but both still wanted to go. Maddie felt bad school days were better than some one-on-one tutor while being stuck at home "all day, every day." Rayna and Deacon both knew that was code for "at least I get to see Colt."

Deacon asks if that was Teddy's attorney again. The two talk for a few minutes about Teddy and the mess they are in. Once again, Deacon suggests taking the girls up to the cabin until this whole things blows over. Its tempting but Rayna thinks the girls need stability. They still have a month left of school and taking them away now is just avoiding the problem later.

~/~/~/~/~

An hour ago, Rayna received an urgent phone call from the principal at the girls' school. It seems that screaming and stalking the girls from outside the building wasn't enough for the paparazzi. This morning a janitor had found some strange adult hiding in the boys' bathroom. The man had a camera in one hand and a recorder in the other. The principal had found an identification card labeling him as a "free lance' journalist with one of the tabloids. So Deacon went to pick up the girls while Rayna got on the phone with her attorneys about a restraining order against the sonofabitch.

Rayna watches as her eldest daughter bolts through the kitchen, slinging her book bag across the floor. A moment later, Daphne walks through the kitchen and launches herself in Rayna's arms. Deacon comes in last, taking off his sunglasses and giving his wife a warning look.

Every news program in the country had stories about Teddy. All the magazines had huge pictures of him on the cover. Every headline had a play on "Conrad" and "convict." There were side stories about everything: the prostitute's upbringing, Deacon's sobriety, Deacon's cancer, Maddie's paternity, Deacon and Rayna's wedding, Rayna's broken engagement to Luke, and Peggy's murder. There were late-night comics with jokes about politicians and prison.

Paparazzi were everywhere: outside the gated community, at Highway 65, at the girls' school. Bucky couldn't get any work done due to all the phone calls and inquires about Teddy. Dropping off and picking up the girls at school was a nightmare. The last week had been hell; and today had been the cherry on the damn sundae.

While Rayna strokes Daphne's hair, Deacon explains that the police, "arrested the jackass."

Daphne sniffs and then scolds Deacon for his language. The adults share a slight smile. Even when Daphne is upset, she is adorable. Deacon kisses the top ofhe r head and ask what the blond one wants for lunch. Daphne sighs dramatically before insisting on tacos and mashed potatoes. Before Rayna can say anything about the unusual food combination, Deacon is already pulling stuff off of the fridge. Rayna just wraps an arm around her daughter and lets any reservations about the meal go. _We do have bigger problems than food combinations to worry about._

 _~!~!~!~!_

"You really think I should go?" asks Rayna as she closes the door to the master suite.

Deacon plops down on the bed and starts taking off his boots. He really does think Rayna going to see Teddy is a good idea. Deacon knows how scary and lonely prison is. He knows how helpless it is, waiting for news on the people you love. Plus it may be good for the girls to know that Teddy is really okay.

Rayna looks upward in contemplation. The press will no doubt find out about her visit. It will be another story for the tabloids, another segment for local television. _What the hell do you even wear to visit your ex-husband in prison?_

"Ray, thinking about what outfit you gonna wear?" asks Deacon with a sparkle in his eye. Rayna picks up a pillow and throws it at her husband.

He easily defends himself and picks up on his own pillow and throws it towards her. She squeals with excitement as she launches one of the designer pillows that cost more than she would ever tell Deacon. Soon every pillow is off the bed while Rayna is laughing as she smacks Deacon in the head with a beaded gray pillow. A second later Deacon runs towards his wife, putting a finger over her lips. He warns that if she doesn't be quiet, "the girls will be in here with their own pillows if you keep it down."

Rayna's eyes flash a bright blue. It's the look Rayna gets when she gets a naughty thought. Keeping things down wasn't exaclty what Rayna had in mind for the next hour or so. They share a smile before she grabs another pillow and throws it at his head.

~!~!~!~!

Rayna lays down her pocketbook with a heavy thud. Deacon watches her with a careful eye. She doesn't need to say anything, he can just tell by the look on her face. The meeting with Teddy had been so much worse than she anticipated.

Rayna was prepared for loud noises, cold visitation rooms, and some scary looking bald men. She also expected Teddy to cry a little, perhaps be a tad despondent or nervous about his future.

Instead Rayna found her ex-husband on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It was frightening and difficult to really comprehend. Teddy spoke to her about hearing voices and having other convicts wearing wires on him. He mainly spoke in hushed tones and loosely coded messages. The only real information Rayna got out of Teddy was a bond hearing was scheduled for early the next Monday.

Rayna was able to talk about the girls a little. She lied, promising the paparazzi weren't that bad. She left out that the girls had been picked on or that some crazy photographer had got caught in their school.

Afterwards, Rayna headed over to the attorney's office. The bond hearing didn't seem too promising. Teddy had funneled a lot of money, so much so that any Judge would assume he stored more away in some foreign bank account. Her ex-husband had connections in the international banking community; he had a passport with plenty of stamps on it. The lawyer mentioned their only hope was a reasonable bail and house arrest.

The news only got worse. He was looking at significant jail time: a decade give or take a year. The attorney believed Teddy would end up in a prison out of state, most likely a prison in Pennsylvania or upstate New York. While Rayna wasn't thrilled with her daughters visiting Teddy in a federal penitentiary, it seems worse now, realizing he'd be over 500 miles away.

As Rayna recounts the visits she can't help but break hugs her tightly and lets his own thoughts wander.

He asks how much she wants to share with the girls.

"We've been honest this far about everything: the cancer, our relationship. I just don't want to start telling half-truths now," sighs Rayna.

Deacon nods and rubs the side of his face in contemplation. He can't help but feel sorry for Teddy. He was married to Rayna, he got to live down the hall from both the girls. Deacon found himself missing Maddie when she spent the night with one of her friends. A few weeks ago, Deacon had gone to help Scarlett and Gunnar with two shows in Florida. Roundtrip, he'd been gone 44 hours. Still, he found himself grinning like an idiot when the blonde one Face Timed him. He disliked how quiet the hotel room, he hated that nobody stole his French fries at dinner.

Teddy had all this and lost it. Now, he would only get to see the girls on the weekends, in a visitation room, for an hour. He'd miss open mic nights and talent shows. He wouldn't be there for school dances or graduations. There would be boyfriends and college applications. But there was also all the mundane stuff.

Deacon and Rayna share a long hug.

"Okay, let's go talk to them."

The girls did not take the news about Teddy well. Deacon wasn't expecting it to be easy; but it had been worse than he anticipated. There was a lot of sobbing and screaming. Daphne cried hysterically for almost an hour. The poor thing practically fell asleep with tears still streaming down her face. She kept asking if she would ever be able hug her daddy again or if he'd ever get to go outside again. He'd nearly lost it too when Daphne asked how he was going to come to her birthday party.

Maddie's reaction was more tempered. She was still processing everything and Deacon figures it will be another few days before everything hit her.

Deacon glances over at a picture of Maddie and Daphne on the end table and down at his wedding ring. For the first forty three years of his life, he was one selfish bastard. He did what he wanted: drank, lied, and sang. He became Rayna's backup singer because he wanted to be near her. He kept strangers in his bed because it felt good.

But then he found out Maddie was his daughter, his responsibility. Sure, Deacon had always loved Maddie. But knowing she was part of him really did change him. He did become the man that Rayna deserved, the one she always knew he could be. Then when Beverly saved his life, Deacon was given a second chance. Now he was married and a father, and a step-father. The day he woke up in the hospital after surgery, he made a promise to the three women in his life. Deacon swore that he would do whatever he had to to protect them, love them, and make them happy. Deacon reminds himself of that vow. No matter the personal cost, he has to do what is best for the girls.

Before he can change his mind, Deacon picks up the phone.

~!~!~!~!~

Rayna watches as the two men drill a small hole into her living room floor. Another checks something on his computer. She checks her watch wondering what is taking so long. _They should be here by now. Maybe something went wrong?_

Another few minutes passes and the guy with the computer explains how the system works.

"If he goes out 600 feet past this point, an alarm will sound in the house. He has two minutes after the alarm sounds before the home office will be notified m'am." Rayna nods and thanks the man.

Rayna hears the kitchen door open and heads towards it. Deacon stands in the kitchen with a plastic bag full of clothes. A second later she sees the man of the hour walking through the kitchen door. He greets Rayna with a "hello."

She smiles back at him with relief.

"Hi Teddy."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"The guest room is the first door…" Rayna says gesturing

"I know the way," Teddy interrupts with a slight smile.

Rayna can tell how tired her ex-husband is and encourages him to go get some rest. Teddy nods and offers his sincere thanks again to both Rayna and Deacon for what they have done. Neither Rayna nor Deacon ask about the fading blue-purplish bruise on Teddy's face or the slight shake in his voice. Deacon has had his share of bar fights over the years and knows that is the sound of a broken rib.

Rayna tells Teddy that she and Deacon are going to get the girls and tell them "about all of this." Rayna was afraid to get to get Daphne's hope ups if things didn't work out. She was also afraid of Maddie's reaction in general. Teddy says he needs a shower and will try to lay down. His eyes carry a sadness and wariness that Rayna's never seen before; she doubts that he'll get any rest but that too goes unsaid.

As Teddy walks up the stairs, Rayna turns to Deacon. _That wasn't as awkward as it could have been._ Rayna throws her pocketbook over one shoulder and grabs her husband's hand. They now have to go tell the girls that all of their parents are going to be living together. They'll tell the girls about Teddy the same way they've done everything else: together. _Let's do this._

 _!~!~!~!~!_

"So Daddy is going to live with us too?" asks Daphne. She excited but also seems confused by the arrangement. _She's not the only one._

Deacon and Rayna nod. They explain Teddy will only live with them for a few months, then most likely he will go to prison. Deacon braces the girls for Teddy's ankle monitor and the machines in the living room. They discuss that Teddy can go in the front yard and back yard but not really any further. Maddie is relatively quiet while Daphne declares she wants to go home to see Teddy.

Rayna says they can't go home yet. Teddy needs some sleep and time to adjust. Deacon knows what it's like to wake up in a cold, dark cell with nothing but your own thoughts to haunt you. No one leaves prison behind them when they walk out of those doors. The only consolation is that Teddy's only been in a week and half right now. Still, Deacon knows how long those days and nights are.

Maddie says she doesn't want to go home and would rather stay with Scarlett. She pouts when she realizes that is not an option. Scarlett takes Daphne to the kitchen while Maddie hangs behind with her parents. They remind Maddie that this may be the last time she gets to see Teddy for a long time.

"That's his fault," Maddie snaps back as she folds her arms in front of her.

Rayna nods. Teddy's arrest has caused a lot of disruptions and heartache for all four of them; but, that doesn't mean they quit caring and supporting him. Rayna reminds Maddie how mad she was when the truth about her father came out. Then, Deacon reminds Maddie about him drinking again and Maddie posting that video on YouTube. They have all made bad decisions and hurt each other.

"This is different," Maddie insists.

Rayna reassures Maddie that she is entitled to whatever feelings she has, but reminds her daughter that she can be mad at Teddy and also still love him.

"Fine," Maddie says as she gets up and heads to the car.

The slamming door alerts Deacon, Scarlett, and Daphne that Maddie ready to go. Rayna follows a second later, giving a _Lord help us all_ look to her husband.

Deacon kisses Scarlett goodbye as Daphne rolls her eyes. _She looks like her mother in her exasperation._ Maddie's angst was bad enough; but she wasn't nearly as frustrating and dramatic as her mother was at that age. Daphne on the other hand was so much like Rayna. Watching Rayna's mini-me live through her teenage years was going to be terrifying. Deacon figured in a few years, he'd be a little more understanding of Lamar Wyatt attitude towards him.

!~!~!~!~!

Rayna eats another bite of her chicken while Maddie pushes her food around her plate. Deacon pours some sweet tea and offers Teddy another glass.

"Sure," Teddy says as he pushes cup towards Deacon. They were the glasses that he and Rayna bought in New Mexico on their anniversary trip.

An uncomfortable silence passes around the table. Thankfully, Daphne comes back with her science project. Never one to be quiet, Daphne spends the next eight minutes going on about every detail of her homework. Half-way through, Maddie leaves the table. Her plate thuds in the sink.

Maddie doesn't say a thing to any of the adults as she stomps off to her room. The brunette hasn't sad anything to Teddy since she arrived home. For his part, Teddy was doing a good job at not pushing. Still, Rayna could tell he was becoming frustrated. When there is a lull in the conversation, Deacon mentions that Daphne made all As on her report card. She nods happily and then goes into another story about her math teacher. It takes enough time that all the adults are done eating by the time Daphne takes a breath.

Deacon heads off to check on Maddie. Teddy helps clear the table. He thanks Rayna for cooking but she insists that it was no trouble. They go through the girls schedule for the next morning. Rayna and Deacon are leaving the house by 8:30. The girls' tutors are due at the house by 9. Maddie has to finish her math homework and read the rest of _To Kill a Mockingbird._ Teddy nods as if this is no big deal. He doesn't realize how much Maddie has changed recently. She has lost all interest in school work. Like every other high school girl, she cares about boys, music, and friends.

!~!~!~!~!~

Rayna makes a face as Deacon comes out of the bathroom wearing long pajamas and a short sleeve undershirt. She didn't think she'd ever see him wear so many clothes to bed. Even when the heat didn't work in that one bedroom apartment, Deacon came to bed in his boxers.

She recognized that he was trying to be respectful of Teddy. It was sweet and cute and made Rayna love him all the more. It was funny how that happens. Even after all these years, Deacon still does things that cause her to fall even more in love with him. He leans in for a chaste kiss and then settles onto her side of the bed. Rayna lifts an eyebrow but decides perhaps its best. Sex with her husband while three doors down from her ex-husband is weird. Plus she's in the bedroom she used to share with Teddy. It is a bit weird.

Rayna vows there is no way in hell that this no-sex thing will last long; but for tonight it seems appropriate. This is their new normal and they need to get used to this.

Three years ago, the girls' new normal was separating their time between their two parents. Then it changed when the paternity test came in; again, it changed when Peggy died. Then her relationship with Luke shook things up. Eleven months ago, their new normal was she and Deacon being back together and fighting the cancer. Then their new normal became Deacon recovering from surgery. Now it had changed her again.

She silently prays that her girls will be okay after this change too. Deacon asks what she is thinking about. Rayna looks up at the ceiling in contemplation. _Maybe this won't be that bad after all, maybe there is no other shoe that will drop._

Before Rayna can verbalize her thoughts, Maddie scream echoes through the hallway. By the time Rayna and Deacon make it down the hallway, a loud piercing alarm shrills through the house.

 _Or maybe this will be a disaster after all._


End file.
